


Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life

by ChocolateOrangeCat



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Mentions of Sex, Partying, Scott is a Bad Friend, Sheriff Stilinski's Name is John, Summer, Swearing, Transition from Stydia to Sterek, vague sex scenes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-06-15 07:24:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19608538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChocolateOrangeCat/pseuds/ChocolateOrangeCat
Summary: As a child, summers always seemed to stretch out endlessly. It felt like months of freedom, an impossible length of time ready to be filled with ice cream and laughter and sunshine. It's not quite the same anymore. It's his last summer before college, Stiles thinks to himself as he lays in bed aimlessly scrolling Reddit, he ought to do something. He checks his phone.There's no messages.-Alternative title: Stiles Stilinski in a bisexual panic.





	Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life

**Author's Note:**

> The usual disclaimer- I don't own Teen Wolf or it's characters, and please don't post my work to goodreads or similar. 
> 
> Title is inspired by The Wombats, and this fic started off inspired by 'I Brought A Lemon To A Knife Fight' but really isn't anymore.   
> Also, this is set post 3B, except Allison doesn't die, Lydia was never with Aiden and they somehow shut down the nemeton.

As a child, summers always seemed to stretch out endlessly. It felt like months of freedom, an impossible length of time ready to be filled with ice cream and laughter and sunshine. It's not quite the same anymore. It's his last summer before college, Stiles thinks to himself as he lays in bed aimlessly scrolling reddit, he ought to do something. He checks his phone.  
There's no messages. 

He wishes there was a stupid snapchat from Scott that he managed to fit like 10 oreos in his mouth at once, and that's gotta be a world record, right?! Or a slightly condescending text from Erica asking if he's read the most recent Batman comic yet, maybe Isaac after some homework answers. Even a formally-worded text from Derek informing him of the next pack meeting. A frantic voicemail from Allison about the newest threat in the woods.  
But there's nothing. 

Eventually he drags himself out of his duvet nest and opens the blinds. The sun pours in and blinds him momentarily, but once he's blinked a bit he sees a gorgeous clear blue sky. Maybe he will go out today. Yeah, right. He's probably said that everyday so far. Whatever. He showers, because he's at least making some degree of effort, and when he returns to his room he nearly shits himself.  
"Jesus! You could use the door, you know."   
Derek shrugs from his seat at the desk.   
"You've been spinning on that while you were waiting for me, weren't you?"  
"No." The man replies too quickly. Stiles rolls his eyes.  
"You smell like... sadness." Derek remarks bluntly.  
"Thanks. Keep your sniffer to yourself. Is there a particular reason why you're being a creeperwolf today?"   
Derek looks put out.  
"I was just checking in. You haven't been around the loft in a while."  
"I haven't exactly had a reason to."   
"Well. You should." And with that, Derek disappears back out the window. Stiles shakes his head to himself in amusement.   
"You're going to overheat in that leather ensemble, Keanu Reeves!" He shouts out the window as an afterthought. 

The neighbor's cat has decided to visit yet again, Stiles discovers as he ventures downstairs. It's left a beautiful gift in the shape of vomit on his phone charger.  
"Fucking brilliant." He mutters under his breath and throws it in the trash while trying not to gag. Look like that's going to be his job today. He could technically buy a new one on amazon prime and get it tomorrow, but he'd at least like to keep up the pretense that people want to talk to him.   
The mall is weirdly busy with shoppers and he almost does't spot her. Then again, he's trained himself to spot strawberry blonde hair and green eyes from a mile away. Lydia's standing in front of a mirror in a handbag store, staring blankly at herself. He walks in quickly.  
"Lydia?" he says softly. She spins around and quickly blinks away tears.  
"Hi Stiles. What are you doing here?" She tucks her hair behind her ears and puts the handbag she was trying back. Her voice is thick.  
"Seeing if you were okay." He says softly. She raises a perfectly groomed brow.  
"I didn't follow you around or anything, I was just getting a phone charger and I saw you." He raises the hand holding the store bag as proof. She smiles, but it doesn't meet her eyes.  
"Well, I'm fine."   
They wander out of the store together.   
"You want to grab a drink or something?" He offers. She nods wordlessly.

Lydia peps up a bit after the triple shot frappe abomination she ordered and starts chatting a bit. Part of Stiles wants to pretend like this is a cute coffee date, and she'd finally accepted his affection, but the rational side of him says it feels wrong when half the reason she's upset is because Jackson is in London. She admits she isn't okay, and it's almost a relief, because now he's not the only one. It's strange, after going through life-and-death experiences consecutively to suddenly just lose touch with everyone. She tells him about how she's still not over Allison almost dying, how the whole banshee thing is stressing her out, how Jackson won't even return her texts, how she feels like her life has been uprooted and her entire worldview was ripped to shreds by the supernatural awakening. He tells her about how Scott's ditched him, how he's barely sleeping after the Nogitsune, how he's drifted apart from his dad, how he's constantly paranoid there's a new supernatural crisis on the horizon despite them shutting down the Nemeton. Lydia says he's a good listener and it's probably the nicest thing he's ever said to him. His stomach fills with butterflies.  
"We should go out." She declares.  
"What?"   
"You, me and Danny. He totally knows, by the way. We should go to a club, or party or something."   
It doesn't sound like a bad idea. He hasn't gotten properly drunk since that night in the Preserve when Scott was first turned.  
"Yeah. Yeah, why not." He agrees slowly. 

Danny insists that they go to Jungle. Stiles is tentative, the Kanima incident still fresh on his mind, but Lydia bats her lashes and he's completely under her spell. She buys him a 'sexy' outfit to wear, and the attention she gives him feels like Christmas came early. Her eyes run over his legs in the skinny jeans in a way they haven't before.   
"You look good." She says, and he returns the compliment. She does. She's wearing a skimpy dress with thin spaghetti straps that emphasize her delicate shoulders, and her hair flows loose framing her face. Her lips are a cute glossy rose shade and he can't help but stare at them. Danny also looks good, to be fair. He jokes in the car that his pants are so tight he's going to need someone else to help him feel his balls again. They all laugh and it feels like he's been transported to an alternate reality where he's one of the popular kids.   
He shares some shots with Lydia and they dance together. It's a far cry from sophomore prom.   
She dances close against him, and he can feel her breath on his neck. He puts his hands on her hips and she slides them lower.  
"I'm not a nun." She whispers.  
Lydia kisses him. 

This is seriously not how he expected his day to go. She tastes sweet and the way she bites his lip slightly is addictive. He nearly comes in his pants then and there. They race back to her car, stealing kisses as they go.  
"What about Danny?" He manages to remember.  
"He left with a guy earlier."  
They avoid speeding somehow, because it would be a serious boner-killer if his dad had to pull them over, yet make it to Lydia's house in record time.  
"My parents are away this weekend." She reassures him as they stumble up to her bedroom. It's pink and girly and her sheets are silky soft. They collapse onto her bed, hands everywhere. She wiggles out of her dress as he peels his jeans off. It's the least sexy part of the night, but then she's back on him, pressing him into the mattress. He touches her boobs awkwardly and they break for laughter. The way she goes down on him makes him literally feel like he's going to die, and then even that's topped by how it feels when they actually fuck. Her skin is so soft and smooth, and he loves how big his hands look holding her. He comes first, unsurprisingly, but manages to finish her off as well before he falls into broken sleep.  
She's already awake before him in the morning. They're still naked and instead of the sexiness of last night it just feels awkward and sticky. She's ignoring it though, and tracing a pattern on his chest.   
"Stiles, was that your first time?" She says suddenly.   
"Yeah." He whispers back. Something in her face changes. Instead of blissful nonchalance she looks almost guilty.   
"Was it that bad?" He jokes, trying to stop the mood from spiraling downwards.  
"No. It was hot." She reassures, but her mind is clearly elsewhere.   
It actually was, at least for him. To be fair, he thinks, he is (was!) a virgin so he has nothing to compare to, and honestly he could have probably fucked Danny DeVito and found it good. It's nice that she agrees though. This morning after bit, not so much. He leaves without breakfast, but he feels sick anyway. Whether it's a hangover or just the glaringly pink walls, he doesn't know. 

They meet up again a few days later. Danny texts him (which hooray friends!) and invites him to come over. It ends up being him, Lydia and Caitlin having a pizza party at Danny's McMansion.   
"Hey Caitlin." Stiles greets the girl awkwardly as she opens the door. She crosses her arms.  
"I'm really sorry for-" She cuts him off.  
"For interrogating me about my dead girlfriend's virginity? Or for making out with me and then leaving?"  
"All of the above?" She sighs.  
"Don't worry about it. I'm trying to work past all of that shit. Besides, Lydia said you were on a lot of ket at the time."  
"She did?" What a shit lie. He's tried to buy weed before and no one will sell to the Sheriff's kid, how the hell would he get ketamine?   
"Yeah. It's good you're clean again though. I got into taking molly pretty often at parties and it was a disaster. Anyway, come in. The pizzas should be here in a minute."   
Caitlin disappears off inside the house, while Stiles finds Lydia on the couch.  
"Why have you been telling everyone I'm a junkie?" He hisses. She laughs.  
"How else do you explain your behaviour in a non-supernatural way?"   
Good point.  
"Well, I really fucking hope it doesn't get back to my dad."   
Lydia cuddles up to him.  
"I'm sure it won't."  
She slides an arm around his waist and leans her head on his shoulder. He freezes. Was the sex not a one off thing? He kind of assumed it was a drunken 'lets not talk about this again' mistake. He tries to relax into the touches but it doesn't feel right. He almost leaps across the room when there's an opportunity to get up. Lydia barely notices, or at least pretends not to. It kind of ruins what should have been a nice evening. They watch Mean Girls and take turns quoting the iconic lines, and eat their weights in pizza and Ben & Jerry's, but he can't help feeling uncomfortable with Lydia's sudden affection. Not long ago it would have been a dream come true, his slightly creepy advances being met with gentles touches and compliments. He desperately tries to enjoy it.   
His phone buzzes, and he thinks it might finally be Scott remembering his existence, but it's Derek. 

To Stiles:  
From Derek:  
Where are u??

To: Derek  
From: Stiles  
Out, y

To Stiles:  
From Derek:  
nvm 

To: Derek  
From: Stiles  
better not be more fckn spn shit i s2g can i not watch mean girls in peace

To Stiles:  
From Derek:  
not rly no. mean girls??

To: Derek  
From: Stiles  
ya its a classic dont even lie i kno u had sisters. not rly???

To Stiles:  
From Derek:  
theres no problem. & i never said i hadnt seen it

To: Derek  
From: Stiles  
well when ur a werewolf every problem is supernatural isnt it  
i gotta say its weird that u gave up on the formal texting lol  
u go glen coco ;D 

To Stiles:  
From Derek:  
my generation invented online chatting thx  
u need to come to the pack meeting on wednesday btw  
remember to wear pink

Stiles giggles out loud. It's honestly the least manly thing he's ever done and he doesn't even care. Danny gives him a weird look.  
After the others fall asleep, Lydia grabs his hand and drags him to a spare bedroom.   
"Lydia, what are you-" He starts but she silences him with a kiss. It's not the same as the first time. Her hands slide down the front of his jeans, as he slips one under her skirt, but it just doesn't feel as hot as their first time. Why can't he just relax and have a good time with the girl he's crushed on since he was ten? But he can't. He doesn't want to.  
"Lydia, stop." He whispers, and she jerks back.  
"What?" She says, confused. Her hair's all mussed and her lips are red from being kissed and she looks so cute but-  
"I don't want to."   
"Oh. We don't have to." She gives a small smile and they head back to a couch and lay down. They spoon because there's not an awful lot of space, but he keeps his hands to himself. 

He ends up seeing Derek before the meeting. He's walking through the park, almost being pulled over by the dog's he's attempting to walk. He'd taken the job of walking some of the animals at Deaton's clinic at the start of summer because he thought he'd get to hang out with Scott, however it turned out that wasn't the case. He doesn't care anymore though, because he can't really be bothered to face Scott and gets to hang out with puppies instead. It's an excellent trade. The best trade deal in the history of trade deals, maybe ever. He's smirking at his own meme brilliance when the puppies start growling and there's a voice behind him.   
"What are you grinning at?" Derek says gruffly.   
"Nothing. What are you doing out in the sunshine, huh?" Derek matches his strides to Stiles'.  
"I'm not a vampire."   
"Could have fooled me. Hey, you're upsetting the puppies!" He complains as the puppies almost trip him over. Derek bends down and flashes his eyes at them. They immediately settle and he gives them soft pats on their fluffy heads. It's honestly the cutest thing he's ever seen.   
"You'd make even more millions by making a calendar of you and baby animals. You know, like those firefighter ones? Big buff werewolf and tiny kittens. I'd buy it."   
"Of course you would." He rolls his eyes, and they walk along further.  
"How's Scott?" Stiles asks carefully.  
"I was going to ask you the same thing." He says, mildly surprised. Stiles fiddles with his sunglasses.  
"Me and Scott aren't really talking anymore. We just seem to have grown apart or whatever after everything that's gone on."  
"What, the Nogitsune?"   
Stiles lets out a humorless laugh.  
"Ever since Gerard hung me up in his basement and beat me halfway to death, dude."  
"Oh." They fall silent, until-  
"Hang the fuck on, are you wearing a Yankees hat?" Stiles snatches it off the man's head.  
"How did I not notice this before! You can't disrespect the Mets like this!" He shakes his head and grins. Derek grabs it back and returns the smile.  
"Shut up." He jabs back, but there's no heat behind the words.   
There's an ice cream truck in the park, and Stiles absolutely insists they partake in the summer festivities.   
"We're not children." Derek argues back in his usual sullen way, but Stiles totally convinces him and they end up chilling on the grass, surrounded by puppies and sunshine. Stiles can't even watch Derek eat his popsicle because it's too much for his poor bisexual heart. He feels warm and light, and not just because of the weather. He just wants to lay back and soak up the moment. 

His dad makes a real effort to spend more time together. It's hard because of the hours he has to work, still training new deputies (since they're constantly getting murdered or quitting due to their coworkers being murdered) so he brings lunch to the station sometimes. They sit in his office and chat quietly. It's hardly exciting father/son time but it gives them a chance to actually know what the other is up to aside from fleeting comings and goings at home.   
"Walked around the park this morning. Can you believe Derek is a Yankee fan? I ought to opt out of the pack because of that alone." He says around a mouthful of curly fries. The Sheriff makes a face, but that might be because of the carrot sticks he's forcing down.   
"You went for a walk with Derek, huh?"  
"Well. Sort of. I was walking Deaton's puppies, really. Need that dollar dollar for Jeep repairs."   
John shakes his head at his son's weirdness.   
"But you were with Derek."  
"Yeah? We had ice cream, it was fun." He describes, completely obliviously.  
"Son, you know he's older than you, right? By what, five or six years?"  
"Four actually. He's twenty two and I'm eighteen. Good maths, father."   
"I think it's closer to five actually, the way your birthdays fall. Good maths, son." John counters.   
"Your point?" Stiles sniffs.  
"Just- be careful. What are you doing tonight? I'll be stuck here on a double shift with the newbies." He laments.  
"I think Lydia's coming over."   
"Just Lydia? Not your new... pack? Danny and whats-her-name?"  
"Danny and Caitlin. And we're just friends, you can't exactly be a pack when one of you is only vaguely supernatural and the others don't have a clue. But yeah, just Lydia."  
"Huh. Well, have fun I suppose." John looks a bit confused. 

Stiles does have fun. Just not what his dad was talking about. He's a kind of single teenage boy with a free afternoon, okay? It's almost expected. He doesn't bother with porn, and instead draws on his internal spank bank. He starts off thinking about Lydia, how she kisses him and how her cheeks flush such a pretty pink, but it's not really doing it for him. His thoughts trail off and he's thinking about hard abs and strong arms, which okay. He's incredibly bisexual, this is nothing new, but suddenly there's a face to the masculine figure he's imagining, and it's Derek fucking Hale. Apparently that does do it for him. Since when has he crushed on Derek more than Lydia? 

The dog walking becomes as much of a habit as partying with Lydia, Danny and Caitlin does. They always start out talking about pack business, which slowly devolves into personal business and then straight up conversations like 'if Uncle Ben didn't die, would Spiderman still be good?' or even 'are dogs left or right handed?'. Sometimes they touch on their deep-down-locked-away-repressed personal shit which is actually nice. They seem to be able to relate and comfort each other easily, and know what exact cliche bullshit to avoid saying. And then, Derek starts following Stiles home, and now they just... hang out. It's ever so slightly weird just to chill and do the same kind of stuff he'd do with Scott with Derek, but it turns out it's fun. Derek doesn't moan about Stiles always stealing the last Doritos and is an incredibly competent Mario Kart player.   
It's a disgustingly sweaty day and they're laying on Stiles' bed in boxers and taking turns in front of the shitty fan. Stiles is averting his eyes from Derek's muscled physique and pretending he's hot and bothered from the weather rather than the guy next to him.  
"Hey, your five minutes are up." Derek grumbles and shoves him lightly. Stiles sighs dramatically and flops back.  
"So, I was thinking."  
"I didn't know you could do that. Maybe you should try it more often." Derek snarks, but he talks into the fan and it distorts his voice. Stiles chuckles at it before continuing.  
"I was thinking about how I've had tickets booked for the new Avengers movie since they were available, cause me and Scott have a tradition of seeing Marvel movies the day they come out, right? But he hasn't even bothered to text me about it, so I reckon you and I ought to go instead."  
"To piss him off?"   
Stiles smirks.  
"Only partially. I also need to introduce you to the awesomeness that is superhero movies." He waits for Derek to turn him down, to declare that he'd rather have Kali shove a pole through his spine again than sit through a childish movie with Stiles, but it doesn't come.  
"Sure. What time?" 

The movie is both good and bad. Good because the actual film itself is fantastic, and bad because it's kind of accidentally a date. Both Stiles and Derek seem to realize this once they're sitting there admiring Robert Downey Jr's face and go for the popcorn at the same time. They meet eyes and suddenly it's a shitty teen romance moment. He can't decide whether he wants it to be a date or not. 

Derek pops by slightly too early one day. And by slightly too early, he means he's mid-thrust in Lydia when she screams in a non-orgasmic way and suddenly there's an alpha behind him.  
"Jesus, Derek! This is exactly why you use the fucking door." He exclaims. The man freezes for a minute and stares at Stiles, before blinking quickly, blushing and escaping back out the window.   
"Come back in like 15 minutes, okay?" He shouts after him.   
He doesn't come back. Or come to the next dog walk. 

Eventually they see each-other in the grocery store. Stiles is debating which veggies he's going to torture his dad with this time and Derek is apparently stocking up on the sugary cereal Stiles knows he secretly loves.   
"Derek!" He shouts across the aisle. He gives Stiles a sulky look but strides over anyway.  
"What?" He growls.  
"What crawled up your ass?" He wonders aloud.  
"Nothing." It's not convincing.  
"Seriously, I thought we were something. Bros or whatever. Sharing is caring and all that jazz."  
Derek hesitates but can't help himself snapping back.  
"I thought we were something too. Clearly I was wrong."  
"We- what?"  
"I thought you might be actually different, but then you were fucking Lydia the entire time, okay? So do me a favor, shut up and leave me the fuck alone before I rip your throat out." He snarls and uses his cart to practically run Stiles out the way. It's the first time he's been physical with Stiles in months, and it feels shitty.   
"Wait." He says uselessly. 

He goes straight to Erica's house, perishables be damned. Her mom lets him in and thankfully the girl is available for an emergency gossip session. She's in sweats and has her curls pushed back in a headband.  
"Stiles?" She greets, bemused.  
"I need your help." He throws himself down on her bed.  
"Right."   
"So me and Derek have been.... something over the summer, right? We started hanging out and seeing movies and that kind of shit, and it's been really fucking nice. But."  
"But." She repeats, raising her brows.  
"But, I've also been hanging out with Lydia, Danny and Caitlin."  
"Because you're not talking to Scott." He clearly looks surprised because she shrugs, "It's obvious." Whatever.  
"And also maybe sleeping with Lydia since the start of summer. On and off. Sometimes it feels really wrong and I'm not into it, but then we inevitably get drunk and bang again and it's better than my hand you know? But Derek found out and now he's being a dick."  
Erica gives him a look.   
"What?"  
"Are you kidding me? You're the dick in this situation, Stilinski!"  
His jaw drops open.  
"How?"  
"You're two-timing them!"   
He starts to respond but she raises a hand to stop him and he has enough common sense to shut up.  
"You've been having a sexual relationship with Lydia, and an emotional one with Derek. And clearly you know that on some level because you've been keeping them a secret. So, you need to decide which one you want both with, and fucking come clean about it. Maybe that's 'hey Lydia this fuckbuddies thing isn't working for me, I want some werewolf dick thanks' or 'hey Derek I love our homoerotic bro time but I'm banging this hot redhead and maybe want more with her'. You can't keep stringing them along." She finishes. Stiles splutters.  
"How did you make that sound so simple?"  
She smirks.  
"It's a gift. So. What's the verdict?"   
He stares at the ceiling, and wills it's swirls to provide him with an answer.   
"I need to think about it."  
"Can you do that while playing Wii? I haven't played tennis with you in weeks, and Boyd's absolutely zero competition, bless his cute ass." 

The next time he sees either of them is at Brett Talbot's party. He actually quite likes the guy- he reminds him of what Derek was probably like at their age, being a born werewolf jock and all. Plus he usually invites the Beacon Hills wolves to his parties despite them living a town over. He was actually the one that showed them how to infuse liqueur with wolfsbane and get a good result. Predictably, Scott doesn't really like Brett, so it surprises him when he spots him lurking in a corner with Allison. He tries to avoid him, but Lydia eventually gives him one of her sexy-but-intimidating looks and steers them over, arm around his waist and hand in his back pocket.   
Scott gives him a distasteful look while the girls chat and drift off together.   
"You and Lydia?" He mutters.  
Stiles crosses his arms.  
"Yeah. Sort of."   
"You look good," he offers, and fuck yeah Stiles knows that he does. He's made a real effort to maintain the muscle tone he gained from running from monsters all year, and now looks more proportionate to his height rather than plain lanky. Lydia has also given some ways to actually style the plaid and his rapidly growing hair. He's no supernaturally sexy werewolf, but he's come miles from sophomore year at least.  
"Thanks. How's Allison?"  
"She's okay. Things have been hard for her after... stuff." He uses those keen fucking werewolf senses to figure Stiles doesn't give a shit, really. He gives the signature puppy eyes instead.  
"My mom keeps asking where you've been lately."   
Stiles shrugs.  
"Around. About."  
Scott fiddles with his sleeve.  
"I heard you've been a party animal this summer." Scott tries, and Stiles just sips his drink.  
"When did things get so weird between us, dude?" He has the balls to say, when they don't immediately gel like old times.  
"When you gave zero shits about me being beaten in Gerard's basement maybe? Or how I've gotten hurt a dozen times helping save your idiotic ass and you only tell me I shouldn't have bothered? Or maybe how you constantly put Derek down and don't bother showing your face at meetings? How you went with the alphas? Perhaps because you know full well how much it hurt me that you gave big alpha speeches about caring about me when the Nogitsune happened, but forget about me as soon as a new girl wants to hop on your dick? Huh?" He doesn't care that they're in public. Maybe he's had one too many beers, but it's not like anyone's paying attention to them. Scott's face crumples.  
"Don't think that I'm sitting around waiting for you to come back and remember me, Scott. Because I'm really not." He finishes coldly, right as Brett calls him over to dance with him and Danny. He walks off to join them and doesn't look back. 

Toward the end of the night, he slips into a bathroom with Lydia and they begin one of their usual drunken encounters. He frantically kisses her, hands sliding through her hair, her legs wrapped around his. Erica's words echo through his head and guilt sets in, but before he has chance to consider what he's doing the door opens. Christ, what is it with them getting interrupted these days? It's Scott, of course. He flicks his eyes between them a few times, a flustered look on his face before mumbling an apology and shuffling out.  
"I thought you locked the door?" He pants to Lydia, still staring where Scott was. She disentangles herself. He turns back to her. Her eyes are filled with tears. She perches on the side of the tub and slides her hands through her hair.  
"I can't do this anymore. I'm sorry. I only slept with you after Jungle because I was drunk and miss being with someone, and it was amazing but then you said it was your first time, and after everything we'd talked about I just wanted something nice for you. And besides the sex has genuinely been good," The worlds flow almost as quickly as her tears, "I thought it would work for both of us because you'd get a nice first girlfriend experience and maybe I'd forget Jackson, but I just miss him too much and this isn't fair for you-"  
"I think I'm in love with Derek."   
She freezes.  
"I think you have been for a while."   
He sits beside her and puts his arm around her. She nestles in, and this time the affection doesn't feel weird. It feels like two souls who are equally hurt connecting.  
"Yeah."

Stiles is hunting for his keys when the doorbell rings. He sighs dramatically despite no one else being around. He hopes it's his amazon package, but it's a shame-faced Scott.   
"How can I make things right?" He says, forgoing the niceties this time.  
"Give a shit. Show up when it's not a crisis, for starters." Scott blinks. He forgot how much he had to spell shit out for the guy.  
"Come to Der's next pack meeting. It's Wednesday at 3. Bring snacks."   
Scott nods.   
"Are you going out?" He says shyly.   
"Yeah, when I find my fucking keys."   
"Have you checked the laundry room? You leave them there when you take them out of your jeans sometimes."  
He checks the laundry room. They're sitting on top of the dryer, silly keychain Derek gave him sitting proudly. Scott walks along the drive with him to his car.  
"Where are you going?" He asks.  
"To go apologize to Derek, and hopefully have sex with him?" He responds coolly after a moment of thought. Scott's taken aback.  
"Huh. You really are different these days."   
"Variety is the spice of life, McCall." 

He raps his knuckles loudly on Derek's apartment door. The werewolf answers immediately.   
"What?" He says shortly.  
"I want to apologize, okay? Can I come in." Derek gives a master eye roll and stands out of the way.   
He sits nervously on the couch while Derek makes them coffee, because that's a thing these days. Derek being domestic.   
"I was only sleeping with Lydia because I was kind of drunk and desperate, and she missed Jackson." He starts.  
"You were drunk on a Monday afternoon?" Derek cuts in cynically.  
"No. I meant it started as a drunk thing, and mostly only happened at parties. The time you saw was one of like two times it happened sober, okay? And it's thoroughly ended now anyway. We both felt weird about it. Thing is though, I didn't realize I was seeing her sexually and you emotionally. I would genuinely never do that, Der. I know it's a shitty excuse, but seriously. It wasn't intentional. And now Erica's slapped some sense into me I see it now and ended things with Lydia, because it's not her I want to be with. I- I want to be with you."  
Derek keeps his eyes fixed firmly on his coffee mug, brows furrowed fiercely.   
"Why should I believe that? How do I know you're not just off with her, and you'll be on again when you get bored of me?"   
"Because she doesn't laugh at my awful jokes, or genuinely discuss stupid shit with me. She doesn't answer my texts in the middle of the night, and stay on the phone until we fall asleep when I have a nightmare. She doesn't 'get' my anxiety and ADHD in the way you do. Sex is good, but I want a future with you. I want to wake up in your gigantic bed and drink your fancy coffee with you, and walk puppies and yes maybe have sex with you. More than a maybe on that last bit actually." He grins cheekily. Derek meets his eyes.  
"You're sure?"  
"Hundred percent, dude. I tried to be eloquent, but if you like I can phrase it how Erica suggested and say 'I love our homoerotic bro-time and want that werewolf dick'?"   
Derek smiles, and then finally they're kissing. He tastes like coffee, and his hands around Stiles' waist feels right. He slides into the man's lap and deepens the embrace. Whenever he was with Lydia he was always so nervous and paranoid about doing things right but this right now feels easy as breathing. The ebb and flow of their relationship translates into their intimacy and when he's lying curled on Derek's chest in a post-sex glow he doesn't feel anything except happiness.   
He usually hates how people refer to their partners as their other halves as if they're not a whole on their own, but he suddenly realizes how true it is. He feels whole right now. 

Scott does come to the meeting. He absolutely ran with the snacks comment because he comes bearing every pack member's favorite treats (as if that will instantly win them back). It's kind of awkward and he's out of the loop, but they all genuinely appreciate that he's trying. They gather around, laughing and feasting on takeout and he doesn't need to be supernatural to feel the warm bond between them all. He cuddles into Derek's side (everyone quickly got over the apparently sudden lack of interest in Lydia and he thinks it may be to do with Erica).  
"This summer hasn't been so bad." He murmurs. Derek hums in agreement.

**Author's Note:**

> How many times can I say 'feels right' or 'doesn't feel right' ? Many. Many times. 
> 
> I love a good comment :)


End file.
